Blythe Gifford

The Chicago Tribune has called Blythe Gifford's work "the perfect balance between history and romance," and I couldn't agree more!

"Anne of Stamford has long been the keeper of her mistress's secrets, but when Lady Joan marries the king's son, court life becomes ever more perilous. Sir Nicholas Lovayne has arrived to uncover the truth about Lady Joan's past, and Anne must do something—anything—to throw him off…."

The back and forth between Anne and Nicholas kept this book exciting. They show more were definitely attracted to each other, but Anne was keeping a huge secret for Lady Joan and couldn't risk Nicholas finding out, and Nicholas had a very big problem when it came to trusting women given his father's marriage when he was a child to a woman Nicholas felt was manipulative and a liar.

"But who knew why women did anything except for their own gain. In his experience, women's interest in him had been directly proportional to what he could offer them."

But Anne isn't your average flighty woman. She has been dealing with a physical disability all of her life, and in that day and age, you were more likely to be turned out to beg on the street than live a normal life, so she considers herself very lucky indeed to be taken care of by Lady Joan. But what happens when she finds herself attracted to a man who makes her think and feel things that will get her nowhere in the long run? Or so she tells herself.

This was a very quick read because the characters were interesting and the historical backdrop was fascinating to read about.

I enjoyed this book very much and look forward to continuing with the Royal Weddings series.

Highly recommend - 5/5 stars. show less

The second son of a clan chief, John Brunson, at a young age, is sent to live with the royal court. He's always resented the fact that his father seemed to have no interest in him, to only pay attention to his older brother who would one day become clan chief. He hasn't seen his family or home in 10 years. Now his king has sent him back home to gather his family's men to join the king's war against a traitor. His reception home is a cold one. He finds out his father has recently died at the show more hands of a rival clan. His brother is now clan chief and has no interest in helping the king. The Brunson clan is focused on revenge.

Cate Gilnock is also bent on revenge, and she shares the Brunson's enemy. After the murder of her own father and the brutal taking of her innocence she turned to the Brunson clan for sanctuary. John's father promised her revenge. She hides herself in a tough exterior, never letting anybody get really close. She is learning to fight so she will never be vulnerable in any type of situation. She ends up being John's answer in getting his brother to send their men to help the king. If John can persuade her to give up her drive for revenge, then his brother would be free to help the king.

It's almost comical John's thought process at the beginning. He thinks it will be really easy to persuade Cate. He's used to women throwing themselves at him at court. He thinks first to seduce her into following his will. Cate's not going for it. She trusts very few men and in the beginning John does nothing to persuade her he is worthy of her trust. That trust slowly builds, though, once he promises to help her with her revenge and they spend more time together.

John had to grow on me too. I thought he was a little too cocky at first. I wasn't sure if I was going to ever like him. But I think it was his way of dealing with his insecurities with his family. Part of him wants nothing to do with them, to return to his king. And another part of him wants to prove to his family that he is still a Brunson and belongs with his family.

Once John gets past his insecurities, I started to really like him. Cate did too. The more Cate starts to trust John, the more he is able to break through her shell. She's really vulnerable, but determined. Cate vows never to be put in a position again where she feels helpless, where she won't fight. I liked that drive in her. Really John and Cate end up helping each other get past their problems and insecurities. Trust and respect become major factors in their relationship. But it wasn't all seriousness. John ended up having a cute flirty side too.

I do have to say something about the cover. I adore it. I love the way both models are looking out towards us. I love the colors and the almost suggestive way she is holding his sword. But Cate's hair is short throughout the book and she mostly dresses in men's clothing. The cover Cate does not really match book Cate. That bothered me a little.

ARC provided through NetGalley. show less

My favorite of the trilogy. Rob is the leader of his clan and must do what is best for them. When he comes across Stella Storwick, a member of his clan's mortal enemies, he seizes the moment and seizes her. His clan has already taken her father hostage and he finds that neither one is being searched for by their relations. Now he has to decide what to do with her.

I really liked both Rob and Stella. Both of them have found themselves isolated by the expectations others have of them. Rob has show more been trained by his father to take over the clan, but never felt as though his father thought he was ready. When his father died unexpectedly Rob felt unprepared for the responsibility. Added to these problems were the demands from the Scottish king that Rob provide men for his war and the results of Rob's refusal (see Return of the Border Warrior and Captive of the Border Lord). Now he finds that he is attracted to the daughter of his enemy and can't do anything about it. I really enjoyed seeing the way that being with Stella filled something in his soul that he hadn't realized was missing. I also loved seeing the way that she confused him and often made him rethink his attitude about something. The last chapters showed him finally come into his own.

I really liked Stella. All her life she had been treated like someone too good to be exposed to other people, leaving her feeling lonely and isolated. When she found herself a captive of the Brunsons she didn't know what to expect. What she got was being treated like an ordinary person and she loved it. I loved seeing her experience things like cooking and washing. I also loved the way she took care of Wat, showing one of the facets of her personality that had never been given a chance before. I also really liked the way that she wanted to find her place in the world. One of the things that I enjoyed most about her was the way she came up with the perfect solution for their problems half a book before Rob and the others did. show less

Explosive secrets and hesitant love!

1361. A tale of princes, love and discarded husbands. Secrets skulk in high places, surrounding annulled marriages and ecclesiastical decisions. The story of Joan of Kent, and her irregular marriages is witnessed through the eyes of her constant companion Anne, the lame daughter of Joan's former lady-in-waiting.
Anne of Stamford is the focus through which the fascinating woman who would become Prince Edward's wife is revealed. There is a deep mystery show more surrounding Joan of Kent, all tied up with ecclesiastical courts and this wilful woman intent on shaping her own destiny. Anne comes to know the force of that intent. Gifford's Afterward is interesting in locating the historical questions that surround Joan, The Fair Maid of Kent and Edward, The Black Prince.
In reality, Joan and Edward's marriage is the larger than life background, the raison d'être for the interaction between Anne and Sir Nicholas Lovayne
Anne holds the secrets of Joan's former marriages, their disturbing timelines. For that knowledge alone Anne will eventually be a source of danger to the legitimacy of any children Joan and Edward might have. Fortunately Anne is not only intensely loyal, she's grateful to have a place where she is protected from the life that others with her affliction experience.
(The observations about the crippled and afflicted, their fate in these times, the attention to the difficulties of riding for Anne, even her experiences amongst the pilgrims, focus our attention on Anne's struggles and fears and the import of the secrets she holds for her very survival. When Anne contemplates the lame begging in the streets and compares her lot to theirs, the realization of the veneer of protection between them and what her life could hold is frighteningly thin.)
The tension between Anne and Nicholas is palpable. Anne of course is continually having to hide her mistresses secrets from the discerning eye of Nicholas.
Who is Nicholas? He's the Prince's man, a mercenary who's fought his way to this position. A man who wants no ties but cannot help but sense the strength of this lame maid. He sees her, who she is, when no-one else does. He is attracted to her. He is also the man charged with seeking the annulment of Joan's former marriage from the Pope and the approval of her marriage to Prince Edward from the English ecclesiastical court, the Curia. A man charged with uncovering secrets.
A dangerous dance ensues between these two. A dance of secrets withheld and secrets sought, of painful revelations and ultimately of love.

A NetGalley ARC show less